Improvement in governors for steam-engines



L. EIKENBERRY. GOVERNOR FOR STEAM ENGINES.

No. 39,903. Patented Sept. 15, 186 3.

' UNI E STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,908. dated Septemberla'), 1863;- antedated September 26, 1862.

' proved governor. ,Fig. 2 is a side v ew of the same. Fig. 3'is a vertical central section'in the line a; a; of Fig. 2... Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are views showing modifications of construction and application of my invention. Figs..

10, 11,12, and 13am also modifications.

Similar lettersof reference in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists, first, in arranging the arms and levers of a governor in such relation to a spring or springs that while the gradual compression of the spring or springs is occurring agradually-increasin g lever force, commensurate, or nearly so, therewith, comes into action to aid the governor of the engine in overcoming the same; second, in the arrangement in a governor of a nutscrew-rod, bevel-gear wheels, sliding rotary shaft, and pins, or their equivalents, for the purpose of regulating the quantity of steam with a slight movement of the balls and a small amount of power; third, in constructing the regulating screw-shaft in such a manner that crowding and breaking of the parts is obviated, and in so combining a spring, or its equivalent, with the screw-shaft and traveling nut thereof that the nut is kept in gearing position, notwithstanding that the shaft is constructed with a short screw-thread, which allows the nut to run fully out of gear before it strikes a fixed object.

To-enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A in Fig. 1 represents a standard of any suitable construction, on which the governor is mounted.

B is a vertical rod extending down loosely through the top support, a, of the"standard,

and finding itsend support in the intermediate bearing, 11, of the standard. This rod revolves, and has a short screw-thread, 0, out on its circumference midway of its length. Just below said screw-thread, and on a plain portion of the shaft, a spiral spring, d, is arranged, and on the screw portion of the rod a slidenut, e, is fitted, so as to rise and fall between the legs of the standard. To this cut the connecting-rod fofthe governor and valve movement isfastened.

G is a bevel-wh eel attached to the upper end of the rod B, and revolves with it.

D is a horizontal tubular shaft arranged-to revolve in bearings g g of the standard. On this shalt two bevel-wheels, E E, are fitted loosely, so as each to alternately revolve with or independently of it, and to gear with-the bevel-wheel G. In the inner face of each of the hubs of these wheels clutch-notches h on one end of the shaft 1) for the belt of the main shaft to run uporn. v

F is a solid shaft, fitted loosely. within the tubular shaft, so as to slide independently of it, but to revolve with it. From the circumference of this shaft, on opposite sides, and at points between the two bevel-wheels, pins jj project a short distance, oblong slots in lo being cut in the tubular shaft to allow for theirpro-- trusion through it, and also to admit of their moving along with the shaft, of which they form a part. The object of these pins is at certain periods to automatically gear the bevelwheels with the vertical shaft B,and thereby, as the shaft revolves, produce a rotation of the bevel-wheel Q and its rod B in a right or left direction, accordingly as the circumstances of the case may require. The pins enter the clutch-notches in the hubs of the bevel-wheels at the completion of the extent of the forward or back movement of the shaft F. If the pins j j enter the notches h h, the screw-rod causes versed. I would here state that if the shaft F is arranged to revolve in an opposite direction (by crossing the beltor otherwise) to th at indicated by arrow in the drawings, the order 7th h are formed. There-is also a pulley, 'i, y

the slide-nut to gradually descend, and so op-.

of the gearing of the bevel-wheels with it and the effect onthe nut will be reversed, but

still the end accomplished will be the same.:

I would also here state that in case the nut should-from any cause descend so far as to t-ataches'to the inclosed end of the solid 811ding shaft F by means of pins m m, said pins protruding through oblong slots at n of the re volving tubular shalt. the slots 1?. n being of a length corresponding to the necessary s1id ing movement of the shaft F. ()n the long ends of the elbow-arms the balls, vanes, or'

weights are attached, and to the short" ends thereoflin'ks-H H are pivoted, said links being also pivoted by their other ends to.. fi,,xed ears or a collar, I, of the revolving but nonsllding tubular shaft .1), as shown.

J is a spiral spring coiled round the tubular shaft between the sliding collar 0 and a stationary collar'or shoulder, 10, of the tubular shaft, as shown.

From the foregoing description it is evident that if the governor-balls gradually increase the extent of their outward movementfrom each other, the shaft F is caused to slide in the tubular shaft 1) and efi'ect the necessary changes in the valve-gearing by-reason of the approximation to a straight line'of the short endsof the elbow governor-arms and the links, and that the spring at the same time is graduaily' compressed by the sliding collar 0, and consequentlyis gradually offering a greater resistance to the spreading of the balls apart;

and while this isthe case the increased leverage brought to hear onthe balls by the aforementioned gradual approach to astraight'line of the'armsand links compensates for-the increasing rigidity of the spring.

In Figs. 4, 5,-and 6 modifications of the manner of applyingthe spring J and of the means for effecting: the alternate gearing of each of the bevel-wheels with the sliding shaft F, and of the mode of atta'chingthe connectingar'od of the valve movement with the governor are shown. It 'will'he seen that the spring J is arranged on the solid shaft F, and the collar 0 is made fast while the collar 1 is disconnected from the tubular shaft. It will further be seen that ratchet-teeth j j h h, instead of pins andnotches, are provided for effecting the gearing of the bevel-wheels with the sliding shaft, and further that the slidenut has two short journals, 8 s, projectingfrom its ends for a forked lever, t, to straddle, in

stead of a single pivot. I would here remark that the spring J might be placed between the two collars I o, as shown in red. In this the collar 0 is made'stationary.

case it would be extendedinstead of compressed, as the arms and links assumed a straight line.

In Fig. 7 a, modification of the lever arrangement, shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is seen. It will be observed that the linksQH are pivoted-to the sliding collar below the'balls, in-

' stead of being pivoted to the stationary collar above. the balls, and that they produce a graduall y-i'nc-reasin g upward compression of the spring, and also at the same time act with a gradually-increasing thrust on the short ends .of the elbow-arms G, and thuscompcnsate for the increasing rigidity of the spring.

In Fig. 8 a modification of the arrangement .of the collars and spring showninFigs.

1, 2, and?) is seen. It will he ohservedthat the'spring J is arranged outside of the-collar I, and that-the collar I is made to slide,whilc In Fig. 9 a modification of" the leverai' rangement and spring is shown. Two addi.

vtiona-l links, q q, beinginterposed between the elbow-armsthat carry the balls, and the slide ing collar 0, 'in such manner as to allow of the balls being located farther from the axis .of I

the governor-shait, and ,so as to compress the spring by a. thrust upon it. The springs are also shown "as coiled on separate rods arranged alongside the governor-shaft, and also madeof corrugated metal and placed-between the joints of the leversandthe face of the flyQ,

wheels.

In Fig. 10 amodification of the elbow-arm's" G, that carry the governor-balls and the sliding'shaft F, is shown. It will be seen that's." toothed wedge, 17, is formed-on theslidin'g; shaft F, and that the shortends a z of the elbow-a rms is in form of a scroll, and also provided with teeth. Further, that the spring is arranged between the tubular shaft D and the collar I on the end of the sliding shaft F.

With this arrangement, when the balls fly out,

the toothed scroll drawsdown the rod and causes a gradual compression of the spring, and while'this is occurring the increasedleverage afl'orded'by the toothedwedge acts in 'concert with the decreasing leverage of the scroll ends of the arms that carry the balls to compensate for the gradually-increasingrigidity of the spring.

In Fig. 11 substantially the same principle as shown in Fig. 10 is seen applied in connection with themodifioation, Fig. 9.

In Fig. 12 a modification of the manner of employing the connecting-rod f of the valve movementis shown. It will be observed that the rod f is forked, as shown in Fig. 6, and

connected directly to the throttle-valve of the engine.

' In Fig. 13 is shown a modification of the rod f, whereby the rod itselt' answers for operating the throttle-valve. The change made consists in constructing the rod in two parts and fitting one part ina square socket, to, of the other, so that the rod may elongate or shorten as the screw-thread c, which in this case fits a stationary nut, 12, is operated upon by the said stationary nut. I would here state that the socket might be round and a screwthread formed in its circumference for a screw-thread on the end of the upper portion I 2. The arrangement in a governor of the nut e, screw-shaft B, bevel gear wheels 0 EE, sliding rotary shaft F, and pins or ratchets h h. in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

3. So constructingit-he shaft B that the nut e is allowed a chance to run out of gearwith the screw-thread of said shaft before a crowding and breaking of the parts of the machine occurs, and so combining a spring or its equivalent with the nut and shaft that the nut shall be kept in gearing position Withthe shaft, substantially as described,

LEWIS EIKENBERRY.

Witnesses: R0131. W. FENWIGK, DE WITT O. LAWRENCE. 

